On Friday (27th September), former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and chief of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), YS Jagan Mohan Reddy cancelled his trip to the renowned Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, popularly known as Tirupati temple, amid the escalating laddu controversy. He was slated to land in Tirumala on Friday night and proceed to the temple the next day to perform darshan. However, the plan was cancelled amidst growing demands for giving declaration of faith and security concerns.
A declaration of faith is required for non-Hindus to enter the temple to see Lord Venkateswara (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu). The declaration is required at the Vaikuntam queue complex. It is also mandated by the general rules of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) which manages the temple. It states that foreigners and non-Hindus must disclose their religion, declare their reverence for Lord Venkateswara and sign the declaration before entering the temple.
Reddy was scheduled to visit the temple as his party had called for statewide temple rites to atone for the “sin” that CM Naidu has allegedly committed with the allegations surrounding Tirupati laddus. Members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) demanded that Reddy publically sign the declaration of faith before going to the temple in the wake of the development.
#WATCH | Vijayawada: Former Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy says "Never in the history of this country we have ever witnessed such a situation people have been barred from visiting temple. These are the notices given to YSRCP cadre, MLA's, corporators. The notices say that… pic.twitter.com/2cnkDBaGb9
— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2024
The ex-chief minister also attacked the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led government during a press conference. He claimed that “demons are now in power in the state” and that he had “never seen political parties creating hurdles even to make a visit to a temple.” The YSRCP had claimed that the state police under orders from Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh warned party leaders prior to Reddy’s visit. YSRCP supremo announced at a press conference that the police were notifying party leaders and cadres ahead of his visit after he had cancelled his trip.
“Police clearly stated in the notices to YSRCP leaders that visit to Tirumala has no permission. Why do we need police permission to visit the temple,” he asked. Reddy further alleged, “The demon rule is continuing in the state. The government is trying to obstruct my upcoming visit to the Tirumala temple. Police have issued notices to YSRCP leaders across the state regarding the temple visit. The notice states that the visit to the Tirumala temple is not permitted, and the program organised by YSRCP does not have the necessary approval. Consequently, leaders are not allowed to participate in that programme.”
Reddy lashes out at CM Naidu, accuses him of damaging TTD’s reputation
According to him, CM Naidu brought up the “faith declaration” controversy to deflect criticism of his inability to persuade people on the matter of Tirupati laddu and claimed, “Many questions have been raised about my caste. I read the Bible at home, and I respect and follow Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. I belong to the community of humanity. What does the Constitution say? If a person equivalent to the Chief Minister is not allowed into the temple, I question how Dalits will be treated.”
#WATCH | Vijayawada: Former Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy says "…What happened during the so-called controversy on Laddus? TTD's reputation has been lowered by Chandrababu Naidu. The pride of our Laddus was diminished by Chandrababu Naidu. He intentionally planted a seed… pic.twitter.com/VHcTPT8Dni
— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2024
Reddy further accused, “On one side, they are serving notices to obstruct my temple visit, while on the other side, BJP cadres are coming into the state from elsewhere, and a large number of police are deployed at multiple locations. I don’t know if the BJP leadership is aware of this. To shift the political focus, CM Chandrababu Naidu has brought up the laddu issue. CM Chandrababu Naidu is portraying that animal fat was used in the laddu prasadam manufacturing, which questions the sanctity and pride of Tirumala. Is this justified? Chandrababu Naidu is blatantly lying on TTD laddu prasadam.”
He charged that Chandrababu Naidu had damaged TTD’s reputation. “What happened during the so-called controversy on laddus? TTD’s reputation has been lowered by Chandrababu Naidu. The pride of our Laddus was diminished by Chandrababu Naidu. He intentionally planted a seed of doubt that the laddus were not good to eat, even though he knew very well that he was lying.”
TDP claims Jagan Mohan Reddy refused to sign ‘declaration of faith’
TDP national spokesperson Pattabhi Ram Kommareddy alleged that the former CM cancelled the trip because he didn’t want to sign the declaration of faith. He said: “By cancelling his trip to Tirumala, Jagan Reddy has once again proved that he is anti-Hindu. The only thing that he had to do to have a darshan of Lord Balaji was to sign a declaration, which is a rule in TTD for more than three decades. Any person belonging to a religion other than Hindu is supposed to sign a small declaration and he has to take permission from the concerned authority to have a darshan of Lord Balaji. So what problem does Jagan Reddy have in signing this declaration? Even people like Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who visited Tirmala as President of this country had signed this declaration because he is a Muslim. Many other eminent leaders in our country have done this.”
Kommareddy further asked, “Without having faith and reverence towards Lord Balaji, What will you do by having a darshan of the deity? What kind of drama are you trying to play, Jagan Reddy? On one hand, you say that you’ll have the darshan of Lord Balaji and pray for forgiveness for what had happened. It is an unforgivable sin. Lord Balaji will never forgive you.”
Reddy defends ghee tender process, claims no adulteration
“CM Chandrababu Naidu is telling lies. The ghee procurement e-tender is a routine process that has been happening for decades, every 6 months. Tirupati laddu is very special. Since my childhood, I know that it is very special. The tender process takes place every 6 months, it’s a routine. It has been happening for years. Anyone who qualifies can participate.,” the former chief minister claimed while defending the ghee tender process.
He added, “Every 6 months, tenders (for laddu) are called and the one who quotes for lower prices, gets approved by the TTD board. There is no government interference. The TTD board is also very special. Union Ministers and other state CMs also recommend the board members. The tenders of TTD were called as per routine and the suppliers were given as per the tender auction. TTD has a robust mechanism. The tankers that come to Tirumala should have an NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) certificate. The suppliers should get the tankers certified and produce the certificate. During the Chandrababu Naidu regime from 2014 to 2019 nearly 14-15 times, the ghee was rejected due to quality issues. There is a robust process. Similarly from 2019 to 2024, 18 times it was rejected and sent back. Whatever I am saying is all facts.”
#WATCH | Vijayawada: Former Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy says "…After the tanker reaches Thirumala Tirupati Devasthanam accompanied with the certificate, the TTD conducts three tests for every tanker. Even if one test were to fail out of the 3, the material is rejected.… pic.twitter.com/fegA6VGZo5
— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2024
YSRCP head claimed, “Four tankers failed the test in July during Chandrababu Naidu’s regime in 2024. The samples from those tankers should have been sent to CFTRI Mysore, but instead, they were sent to NDDB in Gujarat for the first time. TTD issued a show-cause notice to the company responsible for the refused tankers. The refused tanker material was not used by TTD, yet Chandrababu Naidu claims that adulterated ghee was used. I question how adulterated ghee could have been used in prasad manufacturing if the tankers were sent back?”
“The TTD Executive Officer, recruited by Chandrababu Naidu, confirmed on July 23 that vegetable fat oil that is Vanaspati Oil was involved and a show-cause notice was issued to the suppliers. The TTD EO later confirmed on September 20 that adulterated ghee was not used for making Laddu prasadam. Chandrababu Naidu, even after EO submitted the reports, is spreading false allegations about our party and on Hindu sentiments and questions about the sanctity of Tirumala prasad and temple,” he further accused the ruling dispensation.
Tirupati laddu controversy
Notably, on 18th September Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration of using animal fat in making laddus served at the renowned Hindu temple during his address at the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) legislative party meeting. “They (YSRC government) not only provided substandard food to the devotees, such as Anna Prasadam in Tirumala, but also used inferior quality ingredients to make Prasadam, which is offered to Lord Venkateswara. Instead of using pure ghee, they used animal fat,” he charged.
The chief minister further added, “Today, we are using pure ghee and cleansed the system in the temple. Quality of Prasadam and food have improved and steps are being taken to make further improvements.” His statement was eventually validated by the test findings. The conclusions drawn by the report revealed that there were residues of animal fat in the ghee used to prepare iconic Tirupati laddu prasadam. Furthermore, ingredients like soybean, sunflower, olive, rapeseed, linseed, wheat germ, maize germ, cotton seed, coconut, palm kernel fat, and palm oil were also used in making the laddus.
